{"id":24047,"date":"2019-03-29T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=24047"},"modified":"2021-02-06T12:18:08","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T17:18:08","slug":"the-qrp-program-for-retiring-in-belize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/the-qrp-program-for-retiring-in-belize\/","title":{"rendered":"The QRP Program for Retiring in Belize"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>The QRP Program for Retiring in Belize<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belize\u2019s Qualified Retirement Program (QRP) allows eligible applicants to permanently live, retire, and relax in <a href=\"https:\/\/expatmoneyshow.com\/captivate-podcast\/luigi-wewege\/\">beautiful Belize<\/a>. The best part is that in order to be eligible, you don\u2019t actually have to be retirement age. Maybe you\u2019re 45 and wish to retire (very) early and enjoy the good life? If so, you\u2019re in luck because that\u2019s the minimum age requirement. You\u2019ll need to meet a few other requirements as well, as outlined below, but this program makes anyone\u2019s dream of retiring in Belize so easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Eligibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a list of the qualifications for retiring in Belize under its QRP program. You must meet all of these requirements to be accepted into the program. Here\u2019s who qualifies:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applicants who are 45 years old, or older<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those receiving a pension or annuity of $2,000 USD\/month or $24,000 annually from a source outside of Belize<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must be using a Belize bank to deposit said funds. This can be in the form of a credit union or other licensed financial institution within the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pass a security clearance by the Ministry of National Security of Belize<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remain in Belize for at least 30 consecutive days every year.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Benefits<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those who are accepted into the program enjoy a host of benefits and incentives, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Resident Card \u2013 As the QRP retiree, you and your qualified dependents (spouse and any children under 18) will receive residence cards that allow you to come and go from Belize as you please without a visa<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within your first year of acceptance into the program, you\u2019ll receive duty-free tax exemptions on your personal belongings as you bring them into the country. Qualifying items include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A personal boat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A personal, light aircraft. Must be less than 17,000 kg<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A personal vehicle. This must be a model from within the last 5 years<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further tax exemptions \u2013 QRP retirees in Belize are exempt from all incomes received from outside of the country, any capital gains tax and any inheritance tax on received funds.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The QRP Card<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This card is given to those who are accepted into the program for retiring in Belize, and they may use the card as a form of ID. It doesn\u2019t replace a passport, but it can be used in place of a visa for travel in and out of Belize, as well as a form of ID when traveling throughout the country. Here\u2019s a little more about the card\u2019s features:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This card carries the information of your electronic passport page<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be scanned by the Immigration Department in order to link your membership record with the Immigration Department\u2019s system<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be used as proof of immigration status and\/or as proof of identity as an ID card<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be used in conjunction with your passport in place of a visa.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How to Apply<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The application process is pretty straight-forward, and the application can be found on the Belize Tourism Board website under Resources, then Tourism Forms. A completed application would need to be submitted to the Belize Tourism Board, along with the following supporting documents and the application fee, which is $15 USD. You\u2019ll also need to pay to apply to the program itself, which is $1,000 USD, and then $750 for each dependent, and $200 for the QRP Identification Card. Here is a list of the required documents:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birth Certificate \u2013 to include your birth certificate, and each dependent\u2019s birth certificate as well<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marriage Certificate \u2013 If applicable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clear Police Record\/Background Check \u2013 to have been completed within a month of application<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Passport \u2013 Clear copy of your passport, and that of each of your dependents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proof of Income \u2013 You\u2019ll need an official bank statement showing proof of ongoing pension or annuity income in the amount of at least $2,000 USD\/month, or $24,000 annual deposit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medical Exam \u2013 Proof of a clean bill of health for you and each of your dependents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photos \u2013 4 front and 4 profile passport-sized photographs of you and each of your dependents.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submit all of these items to the Belize Tourism Board in order to submit your full application. The annual fee after approval for remaining a part of the QRP program is $50 USD per year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Retiring in Belize<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right now, Belize is a hot spot for expat retirees. You can live a relaxing lifestyle right in the Caribbean for an affordable cost of living, and always have something to see and do. Visit Mayan temples and ruins, snorkel and dive, and so much more. You\u2019re even likely to find an expat community to call your own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"docs-linkbubble-link-text\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/expatmoneyshow.com\/captivate-podcast\/going-global-best-of-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-tooltip-only-on-overflow=\"true\" aria-label=\"112: Going Global \u2013 Best of 2020\" data-tooltip=\"112: Going Global \u2013 Best of 2020\">112: Going Global \u2013 Best of 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>It is clear to see that Belize is a popular place for retirees, and for good reason. From the climate to the beautiful beaches to the affordability, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/expat-life-ambergris-caye-belize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belize is a smart place to retire<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I hope you liked my article The QRP Program for Retiring in Belize.\u00a0 Belize has so much to offer.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For more information on moving to Belize, and setting up offshore banking or corporations, please contact us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/offshore-banking-setup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HERE<\/a>, and we will have one of our experts get in touch with you right away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The QRP Program for Retiring in Belize Belize\u2019s Qualified Retirement Program (QRP) allows eligible applicants to permanently live, retire, and relax in beautiful Belize. The best part is that in order to be eligible, you don\u2019t actually have to be retirement age. Maybe you\u2019re 45 and wish to retire (very) early and enjoy the good [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":431,"featured_media":24048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1399],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[19533,19527,19526,1837,19529,19525,5751,19532,6102,19528,2738,7284,9915,10146,4556,19530,19531],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Retiring-in-Belize.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/431"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24047"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44236,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047\/revisions\/44236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24047"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=24047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}